This chapter explores the early years of the songwriting partnership between Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, who began writing songs together in 1957 for a Broadway musical about boxing, The Body ...
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This chapter explores the early years of the songwriting partnership between Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, who began writing songs together in 1957 for a Broadway musical about boxing, The Body Beautiful. Though the show, which opened in 1958, was not a success, Bock and Harnick worked together again on songs for a musical based on the life of Fiorello La Guardia, the beloved New York City mayor, congressman, and war hero. Fiorello! (1959) was a huge success, earning them and their collaborators—writer-director George Abbott and his co-author Jerome Weidman—Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Bock and Harnick quickly became known not only for their stylish, singable melodies and clever lyrics, but also for their attentiveness as songwriters to the dramatic circumstances of each song in the show.Less

Politics and Poker : The Body Beautiful and Fiorello! and the Late 1950s

Philip Lambert

Published in print: 2010-12-17

This chapter explores the early years of the songwriting partnership between Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, who began writing songs together in 1957 for a Broadway musical about boxing, The Body Beautiful. Though the show, which opened in 1958, was not a success, Bock and Harnick worked together again on songs for a musical based on the life of Fiorello La Guardia, the beloved New York City mayor, congressman, and war hero. Fiorello! (1959) was a huge success, earning them and their collaborators—writer-director George Abbott and his co-author Jerome Weidman—Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Bock and Harnick quickly became known not only for their stylish, singable melodies and clever lyrics, but also for their attentiveness as songwriters to the dramatic circumstances of each song in the show.